


Business As Usual

by SakumaRei



Category: Homestuck
Genre: M/M, Zombies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-09
Updated: 2013-01-09
Packaged: 2017-11-24 06:03:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/631240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SakumaRei/pseuds/SakumaRei
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eridan turns around and suddenly there's a bullet flying right by Karkat’s head, dangerously close, his heart is hammering as he whips around in the direction the bullet was flying. There's a zombie laying right behind where he’s standing, one bullet lodged right in the middle of its forehead.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Business As Usual

Karkat swings his sickle and another one goes down. There are none approaching so he glances over to see how Eridan's doing. He's fine. Karkat releases a breath he didn't know he was holding. Eridan turns around and suddenly there's a bullet flying right by Karkat’s head, dangerously close, his heart is hammering as he whips around in the direction the bullet was flying. There's a zombie laying right behind where he’s standing, one bullet lodged right in the middle of its forehead. _It._ These things weren't people any longer and sometimes it was easier to think they never were people.

"Oh," is the only thing that escapes his mouth before he quickly surveys the area making sure that there wasn't anything coming this time. He wanted to make absolutely fucking sure. He looks back behind him to see a snarling, pissed off partner.

"Kar," he hisses out, venom dripping from his voice, his fangs barred. He shoots his hand out and grabs Karkat's wrist tightly.

"I... what?" He says confused.

"Wwhat?" his accent comes out sounding odd when laced with his anger, " _wwhat?_ You fucking missed one that's wwhat." He snarls again but releases Karkat's hand. "Come on; let’s go before we get ambushed again."

Karkat nods mutely following Eridan back to their vehicle. They do the routine check to make sure there are no zombies around or in the vehicle before deeming it safe to get in. Eridan starts up the engine and Karkat gives him a few minutes before he starts what could turn into a full fight. He's not sure why Eridan's so mad though. They went through a lot to get to this point; months of being partners, fighting, hunting, and surviving. They did it all together, fighting the dead. They _always_ had each others backs in these matters, and thankfully after a long year and a half the government came raring to go, vaccine and everything. It was nothing at all like how it was before. The dead were still roaming around, it wasn't organized at all. There were towns though, towns with small shitty hospitals; small shitty stores too, never enough supplies. There was no currency, your currency was whatever you had: bullets, guns, weapons, food, clothes, anything you owned. The vaccine was hard to get, and most people still didn't have it. Karkat and Eridan's town was on the waiting list, only a few more months and the town would be distributed with the vaccine.

"Eridan, why are you--"

"Shut the fuck up, Kar," he seethes gripping onto the steering wheel.

"I-I'm sorry," Karkat murmurs under his breath leaning his head against the window seal. They drive in silence passing a few stray zombies on their way. Maybe, one day, the zombies would all just starve to death. Surely they weren't getting many meals now-a-days.

Eridan grits his teeth together, "Listen..." he trails off and then shakes his head and says no more. Karkat briefly wonders what the fuck crawled up his ass today.

 ----

The door slams loudly, enough to shake the whole house, and Karkat is sorely tempted to tell Eridan to _fucking watch it or they wouldn't have a house anymore you huge piece of shit_. He refrains from doing that, because while they've _always_ talked like that to each other, he has a feeling that right now might not be the best time to run his mouth. Instead he settles for something that can, hopefully, get whatever the hell is up Eridan's ass to crawl out of it. "You wanna tell me what your fucking problem is?"

Eridan just _glares_ and oh boy does Karkat want to knock him upside the head. "Wwell, maybe _you're_ my fuckin problem," he hisses, his tongue darting over his sharp teeth. Karkat doesn't have to ask him to clarify. "You almost got _killed_ today Kar."

Karkat scoffs, "I think you're over exaggerating a little bit there. It didn't even get that close to me!"

"If I hadn't turned around wwhen I did it wwould have!! One more friend to add to the fuckin body count! I didn't come through a year or more of hell wwith you by my side for you to _die_." He takes in a deep breath and pushes his hand through his hair.

"Do you hear yourself? What happened today, Eridan? That's been our lives the entire time. There have been closer calls than that, which is exactly _why_ we work together you idiot. I'm short range and you cover my ass! That's how that _works_ don't stand here and yell at me for being in the same situation I've been in nearly every day."

"No _you_ don't fuckin get it. Wwe're safe man, safe! This towwn is safe! Wwe've had a few hordes coming in but it's still the safest place wwe've had. There's no need for you to be in these situations anymore, Kar. Wwe are THIS CLOSE," he holds his thumb and his index finger half a centimeter apart, "to getting a vaccine, which means, not having to see you die if you get bit. SO CLOSE, and you almost got bit today. Kar, wwhat do you wwant me to fuckin do, I'm not goin to lose you wwhen wwe're so close to..." he trails off.

Karkat sighs, "Fuck, Eridan, you idiot." He moves over and hugs him softly. "I'm not going to die. You're right, the vaccines close but we have jobs to do, man. We have to eat." Karkat was right, of course. They had become a business of sorts, people would hire them to go get supplies and they'd be paid in different supplies. Their town had one small clinic, and a few small stands. One lady in particular runs a food stand, she can grow anything seemingly year round, and reminds Karkat vaguely of a mom that he never had. A lot of people ditched their real names, and she was one of these people. Instead, everyone calls her Ms. Paint. Karkat made it a point to take care of her as best he could, made sure she was safe every time their town was attacked, and she always seemed to slip extra food into his bag when they were trading.

"Wwe shouldn't go out as much...wwe have some supplies saved up; I think we can stretch wwhat wwe havve a little more than wwe do."

Karkat nods his head, "Yeah, I guess that could work, but you need to quit treating me like a big baby. I can take care of myself, you know."

"I know."

\----

Karkat sits on the counter in the kitchen while Eridan stands beside him, both of them focused on chewing their sandwiches. Eridan voices his fear for the first time. "Humans aren't the nicest. Less vviolent than us," he shrugs, "but they're wworse in a certain wway. Nevver knoww wwhat to expect."

"Yeah, but I think people are more worried about surviving then about being prejudice against us. Besides, we’re the only reason this town is still standing."

"'S not wwhat I mean,” He ignores the last part of the statement. “Remember wwhen this first broke out? Humans wwere killin' people wwho wweren't evven infected because they wwere scared. Wwhat do you think they're gonna do once they find out the disease came from us."

Karkat gives Eridan a blank stare, "What?" Karkat had never thought about where the disease came from. He just knew it was deadly.

"Back on Alternia I heard this was normal. The hives were strongly built and the trolls roamed the night because the dead walked around during the day."

"That's just a fairy tale," he scoffs but then bites his lip, "and even if that were true, these things walk around all the time. They can't be the same thing."

"So it mutated. Sciene my dear Karkat."

Karkat gives him a sideways glance before hoping off the counter.

"And also," Eridan continues, "Howw fuckin' ironic is it that the race wwho's stronger, faster, and dealt with the wwalking dead for generations died quicker than the humans? Wwhat's that tell you? Humans are fuckin' absurd!"

Karkat rolls his eyes and gives Eridan a push "Yeah, I get what you're saying. I promise I won't get eaten by a zombie. I promise I won't let a human get me. I promise to wake up every morning and go, _hey Eridan I won't die today._ "

Karkat doesn't really know if that's such a good idea, after all, he might have the best survival skills next to Eridan, but not even he could control death.


End file.
